Synonym Discussion of PIECE

part, portion, piece, member, division, section, segment, fragment mean something less than the whole. part is a general term appropriate when indefiniteness is required <they ran only part of the way>. portion implies an assigned or allotted part <cut the pie into six portions>. piece applies to a separate or detached part of a whole <a puzzle with 500 pieces>. member suggests one of the functional units composing a body <a structural member>. division applies to a large or diversified part <the manufacturing division of the company>. section applies to a relatively small or uniform part <the entertainment section of the newspaper>. segment applies to a part separated or marked out by or as if by natural lines of cleavage <the retired segment of the population>. fragment applies to a part produced by or as if by breaking off <only a fragment of the play still exists>.